Anne Butler, Manalapan, is the owner of the newly opened Millstone Riding Club. MILLSTONE — The western Monmouth County and northern Ocean County areas of New Jersey are a horse-lover’s dream.
No matter what the equestrian sport or discipline, you can find it here, from thoroughbred and standardbred racing and breeding to dressage, hunter/jumper, Western riding, eventing, carriage driving, endurance, fox hunting and even polo.
However, one exception existed — there were no saddleseat barns in the vicinity. That is no longer true with the opening of the Millstone Riding Club at 309 Sweetmans Lane, Millstone Township.
This lesson barn, catering to children and adults, offers riders the opportunity to learn aboard the elegant American Saddlebred.
Instructor Anne Butler, of Manalapan, has been teaching since she was a teenager on her family’s Pennsylvania farm.
A student at Millstone Riding Club makes his way down the trail. She formerly had a show barn based in Mercer County, and for the past five years she worked for the award-winning, Blairstown-based Saddlebred Rescue, retraining and rehabilitating horses rescued from imminent slaughter. She also taught riding at Northwind Stables, Blairstown.
Two of the school horses at Millstone Riding Club, Johnny Quest and Leo, are horses from Saddlebred Rescue.
Butler said she located her new business in Millstone because the area has the right demographics for what she and her business partner, Doug Engel, have in mind, and they found just the right facility in the township.
“We felt there was a big demand for a top-quality lesson barn in the area,” she said. “There are saddlebred fanciers in the area.”
Butler also teaches driving and Western riding at the Millstone Riding Club.
Butler said saddleseat riding teaches a basic seat, and a student learning to ride saddleseat well can ride almost anything. The discipline suits anyone oriented toward showing, she said.
Riding the flashy American Saddlebred, bred and trained to be a show horse, is also attractive to those who do not want to jump, but “still want a bit of an adrenaline rush,” she said.
Students who do not want to ride the show horse types can be accommodated with Western riding, she said.
While saddlebreds are the barn’s focus, Butler is also familiar with other breeds commonly shown in saddleseat or driving classes, such as the Morgan, Hackney, Arabian and Freisian.
“A good horse is a good horse,” she said.
The Millstone Riding Club offers lessons every day of the week except Monday. Private, half-hour lessons are available on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Group lessons may be available for experienced riders. For more information, call 609-462-6780 or visit www.millstoneridingclub.com.
The Millstone Riding Club offers lessons, training, boarding and showing.